The Pirates of Fenzance
A fannish musical written by John Pomeranz (with additional lyrics by Mary Bentley). The musical is a parody of the comic opera The Pirates of Penzance, by Sir Arthur Sullivan and Sir W. S. Gilbert. It was written as part of the promotion of the 1998 Worldcon BucConeer. The convention (like the Baltimore in '98 bid that preceded it) featured a piratical theme, and that prompted the decision to parody the Gilbert and Sullivan opera.
The plot of the parody follows a young fan Frederic, mistakenly indentured to a band of "pirates" who revel in the more social aspects of science fiction fandom and who seek to "take over" the upcoming Baltimore Worldcon. Believing his indenture completed, Frederic leaves the pirates and seeks out more serious fans. But the pirates note a technicality in the terms of his indenture that that results in Frederic having to return to the band and assist them. Eventually all are reconciled.
The musical was performed at the 1997 Worldcon LoneStarCon II, by a cast that featured Mike Zipser as Frederic, Mari Bangs as Mabel (a young serious fan who befriends Frederic), Judy Bemis as Frederic's nurse Ruth, Pomeranz as the "Party King" (the leader of the pirates), Gary Ehrlich as the "Fannish Individual" (the leader of the serious fen), and a chorus of other fans. Ehrlich mounted a revival the following year at BucConeer with a new cast.
The Pirates of Fenzance online at fanac.org
| Show | Website | 1997 |
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